Court strikes part of South Dakota abortion law

Planned Parenthood claimed victory Friday after a federal appeals court struck down a South Dakota law requiring doctors to tell pregnant women that an abortion would increase their risk of committing suicide.

The 8th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the requirement violates doctors’ 1st Amendment rights. It would require doctors to make “untruthful and misleading” statements, the court stated.

“Planned Parenthood has always stood for the right of women to make these decisions, and we are gratified by this result,” said Sarah Stoesz, president of Planned Parenthood South Dakota.

The court, however, ruled against Planned Parenthood on several other counts. South Dakota’s law also requires doctors to tell pregnant women that their fetuses are living people, and that they have a legal relationship with the fetus. The 8th Circuit upheld those requirements.